KEVIN KYLE knows the betting habits of a professional footballer better than most – it was an addiction that used to cost him £7000 a week.

So the revelations that his former Rangers and Hearts team-mate Ian Black has been charged with backing his own side to lose barely came as a shock.

Kyle’s take on the news the Ibrox midfielder had been shopped by the bookies? He believes it’s the tip of an iceberg that could sink Scottish football if the flood of guilty players are also found out.

As a reformed gambler who now talks to players about the perils of taking a punt, the one-time Scotland hitman refused to pull his punches when asked if betting within the game is rife.

Kyle said: “I spoke to Ian a few weeks ago and he knew this was about to become common knowledge. But now he has been charged it should be something that can help change a gambling culture in football which is now an epidemic.

“Gambling is out of control in football. It used to be the case that players popped into the bookies to put on a coupon.

“Now it’s getting to the stage players can’t wait until half-time so they can take their mobile phones to the toilet and check the latest odds and scores.

“Ian may or may not have been betting on his own team to lose matches but if that case is proven I’d be astonished. But it’s an example of how betting is such a huge part of most professional players’ lives.

“Gambling firms are everywhere in football, they’re advertising on players’ strips, sponsoring competitions and putting their money into a host of initiatives. So when a footballer is charged with betting on games it seems like double standards to me. Betting is an individual choice and players are just normal punters.

“Even if Ian did bet in games he played in, it’s not as if he was trying to bankrupt William Hill or Ladbrokes.”

The law on professional footballers gambling on games couldn’t be more clear. It states: “Players, managers or coaching staff are prohibited from betting on the result or progress of any match or competition in which they are participating or have any direct or indirect influence over.”

Ian Black will have his day in the dock with the SFA but Kyle has first-hand accounts of some players stepping over the moral gambling line. He said: “I remember sitting in the house on a Friday night and receiving a call from a friend who is still playing down south.

“He told me to lump money on a certain result and I asked him how sure he was.

Ian Black celebrates after scoring for Rangers (Image: PA)

“He told me it was a certainty. The team he was urging me to back were long odds and big underdogs, I saw the result flash up the next day – they had won 2-0, exactly the score I was told to back.

“Another time I played for a team trying to reach the play-offs and we faced a side who were going for promotion.

“It was the last game of the season and we almost agreed with the opposition to play out a draw so we would both get what we wanted.

“The odds of that happening were quite long and there was a lot of talk between the players but I won’t say any more than that. It’s just an example of putting your head in the sand to not believe these kind of things go on.

“Most people in the game will have their own experiences but it’s a problem that is far, far bigger than many people would imagine.

“People say gambling among footballers is part of the culture but we need to start taking steps to change that. It can break up families and ruin lives.

“It’s difficult now for players to get away with betting on games they’re involved in but there’s so much temptation and so many different ways to place a bet.

“Even the internet is no longer anonymous if bookies are having a close look at who is placing bets with them.”

Kyle has confronted his own gambling demons and is now putting across his experiences to young players. He said: “I was in at a Premiership club last week to talk to their young players and there were a handful of those boys who have real problems with betting.

“I’d compare it to a father who passes down his love of supporting a certain team to his son and then his son does the same.

“It’s the same with gambling in football – it’s passed down in dressing rooms and young kids get hooked.

“There needs to be action to try to reverse the trend as gambling can quickly get out of control and before you know it you’ve lost everything.”